Good for Charles Clay. Buffalo signed him to a five-year, $38 million deal with $20 million guaranteed and the Dolphins have five days to match the offer since they had a transition tag on him. Or they can choose not to match. I don't think the decision will take five days.

I like Clay. He's an asset to a team. But lt's keep our eye on that guaranted money, as it's what matters most, and see what that would buy most teams in free agency.

Green Bay receiver Randall Cobb ($13 million guaranteed) and safety Antrel Rolle ($5 million guaranteed) equal $18 million guaranteed - or $2 million less than Clay.

Andre Johnson ($10 million guaranteed) and Frank Gore ($7.5 million guaranteed) are $17.5 million guaranteed. That's $2.5 million less than Clay.

Throw in Antrel Rolle for $5 million guaranteed to either of those deals and you could have filled three positions with good, if admittedly aging, stop-gaps for roughly what Clay will cost in guaranteed money.

According to the Buffalo News, Clay signed a five-year, $38 million off from the Bills, which will guarantee him more than $20 million.

The Dolphins, which placed...

Do you see where I'm going with this? And, again, I like Clay. He's a good tight end. He's above average, all things considered. Bill Belichick thought enough of him in 2013 to double-cover him and take him out of the game.

The Dolphins could have put the franchise tag on Clay for $8.4 million. That would have guaranteed he would stay for another year. But I'm fine with the decision and with him leaving at that cost.

This episode underlines again why New England wins. Buffalo released 6-7 Scott Chandler to make a run at Clay. Admittedly, Chandler isn't as good as Clay. But he's not bad. In the past three years, he has 143 catches for 1,723 yards and 12 touchdowns. Clay's numbers the past three years: 145 catches for 1,576 and 11 touchdowns.

The Miami Dolphins' roster is getting a much-needed makeover as the team made several moves in free agency and the NFL Draft.

Chandler's contract hasn't been published yet, but it won't approach Clay's contract. New England profits again.

It's hard to see the Dolphins doing anything but shaking his hand and letting Buffalo have him. He had a career high of six touchdowns in 2013. He's a nice seam threat and a good guy to have on your team. But he's also battled knee issues and, while a presence, hasn't exactly been a force in many games.

The tough part to swallow for the Dolphins is they've potentially downgraded their No. 1 receiver and tight-end positions. Mike Wallace and his 10 touchdowns will be missed. And, while Clay had knee issues, they swap that out for Jordan Cameron's more serious concussion questions.

There is a lot of time and decisions to make. But the real question looming is whether this offense will be improved this off-season. It looks like they're going to be moving into the draft needing to find a playmaker to help spread the load.

And Buffalo? It has an offense filled with potentially nice pieces. LeSean McCoy. Sammy Watkins. Percy Harvin. Charles Clay. If they get an average season out of Matt Cassel at quarterback, they could make some noise with those playmakers.

Again, good for Clay. He should be delighted with this deal because for the past four years he's outkicked his sixth-round contract. But it's hard to question the Dolphins if they just part ways and wish him well for 14 games next year.

2. I think Chris Borland retiring is a game-changer, but not in the way most people define it. Other players aren't going to start retiring for health reasons like he did. But it's a game-changer in this regard, as I wrote in my column today: Everyone understands why he retired. We're at a point in watching football where the risks are obvious to anyone paying attention to the medical reports and concussion issues. It's a game-changer because fans are measuring the risk of the game, which is every bit a threat to the future of the NFL as the players measuring it.

3. Brandon Pirri can't drag the Panthers into the playoff picture by himself, can he?

4. Mike Pollak at guard? From ProFootballFocus.com on the Cincinnati free agent: "Any team looking for a starting calibre guard out there could do a lot worse than to take a look at Pollak. He’s finished every season from 2010 onward with a positive grade, looking strong both as a run blocker and as a pass blocker. He also comes with the flexibility of having started at both left and right guard in 2014.

5. Quotes of the day: "In my opinion, he's a coward. I never want a guy on my team like that to walk out on your band of brothers,'' Pittsbugh center Maurkice Pouncey said of Mike Wallace's dust-up that got him benched in the season finale to CBS4-TV.

"Obviously our organization felt that way about some guys and they got those guys of our footbll team. I felt like it was the right move for everybody,'' Dolphins center Mike Pouncey.